


The Denial Twist

by JessBakesCakes



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28800882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessBakesCakes/pseuds/JessBakesCakes
Summary: Josh and Donna's... whatever they have... feels so obvious that it's hard to remember a time where Josh and Donna weren't, well, Josh-and-Donna. For some, it was easy to spot right away. For others, it took a little more time. A few were shocked to learn that they were among the last to catch on. But for all of them, it was just a waiting game to see how long Josh and Donna themselves would be in denial.
Relationships: Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 76
Kudos: 128





	1. CJ Cregg

**Author's Note:**

> I had another idea and I couldn't let it go, so I started writing this. I'm a total sucker for pre-series Josh and Donna! I have a few different characters for this one planned out (most of our favorites we know and love), but if you feel like you want to see one character's point of view in particular feel free to suggest them and I'll see what inspiration hits! The title is taken from a White Stripes song by the same name. (And I'm still updating my other fic! I just also had this one sticking in my brain and couldn't let it go.)

**CJ Cregg | Manchester, New Hampshire | March 1998**

“Claudia Jean!” Toby calls. 

It’s been a long, exhausting day. Since the Illinois primary, things have increased in intensity rather quickly. Now that their candidate has a 50/50 shot at winning the presidency (she’s still not sure that’s sunk in), their days start earlier and end later. The days of tossing basketballs around (and breaking windows) are over. CJ’s learned a lot these past few days - namely that her time giving non-answer answers to the press is coming to an end. She knows how smart she is, and she can keep up with anyone in her position, but she feels like she always has to prove it.  Having to prove yourself over and over again is draining. She’s found herself wondering if she’ll ever feel like she’s done so sufficiently, even to some of the top campaign officials who are waiting for her at a table at this very establishment. 

But for her own sanity, she’s going to have to stop thinking about it for a while. It’s been ages since they all had time to spend together, and they’ve all been ordered by Leo to take the night off. It’s probably to get them out of his hair, but whatever the reason, she’s going to make the most of it.

CJ sees Toby and Sam seated at the table already. CJ passes by Sam, seated on the end, and drapes her jacket over the open seat next to Toby. “Have we been here before? This is a nice place. Young, hip, happening.”

“Three things which we most certainly are not,” Toby says. 

“I don’t think we’ve been here. Apparently it’s new,” Sam answers, ignoring Toby's wisecrack.

CJ opens the menu. “I am ravenous. Who else is coming? I need to know who will be on the receiving end of my wrath for standing between me and… no, not that. No, no… ah yes, these buffalo wings.”

“Just Josh and Donna,” Sam says. “Donna went to go pick him up from the airport, they should be here any minute. I felt like it would be rude not to invite Donna if she’s going to get him from the airport.”

“I suppose that history won’t look kindly upon me for unloading on a man whose father just died because I’m hungry,” CJ muses. 

“Well, it depends, how good are the buffalo wings?” Toby retorts. 

CJ laughs. “An excellent point.”

Almost as if on cue, Josh and Donna enter the restaurant and seat themselves in the two chairs across from CJ and Toby. Josh looks tired - _ what else is new _ , CJ thinks to herself - but a little more tired than usual. 

“Welcome back,” Sam says. 

“Thanks,” Josh replies, opening the menu in front of him. “Good to be back.”

“We missed you,” CJ says. “It was a little too quiet around here. Was your flight okay?”

“Yeah,” Josh says. “It was fine.”

There’s a moment of silence as they all adjust, looking either at each other or the menus, not knowing what to say. It was almost like they all knew Josh was hurting, but didn’t know how to balance the appropriate sentiments with the return to the dynamic they’d grown accustomed to. CJ could almost guarantee that Josh would prefer the latter - in fact, she’d bet a large sum of money on it. 

Just as the conversation seems to pick up, a server comes over to take their drink orders and promises to return to take their food order shortly. They all find themselves sitting in silence for another few moments.  Sam is the first to finally speak up. “You know, I was thinking,” Sam starts, “that this is one of the very few nights we’ll have as this campaign ramps up to hang out, and I think we should make a rule. Here and now. No shop talk.”

“Is that even possible?” Donna asks. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this group go out and not talk about the campaign.”

“I think it’s possible,” Sam insists. 

“It’s been a long day, so I can say with gusto… yes, please,” CJ agrees. “Even an attempt is welcomed.”

“Toby?”

“Fine by me,” Toby says.

“Josh?” Donna asks. 

“We can talk about whatever, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m just glad to be back among people who don’t use  _ Saturday Night Live _ as their primary source of political news.”

“I haven’t watched  _ Saturday Night Live _ in ages,” Donna says, scrunching up her nose. “Their impression of Governor Bartlet is all wrong. It bothers me.”

“They rely too heavily on the accent for a cheap laugh,” Sam agrees. 

“Do you ever think about the fact that if we win, they may make fun of some of us on _ Saturday Night Live _ ?” Josh asks, resting his arm on the back of Donna’s chair. 

“No, Joshua, I don’t, but it will consume my every waking thought for the next few months, so thank you very much,” CJ says, putting her head in her hands. 

“Look at the bright side,” Sam offers, “Now that Josh and Donna are here, you can get your buffalo wings!”

“You, my friend, are a ray of hope and positivity in a dark, cruel world,” CJ teases, looking around the room for the server. 

“Well, I’m about to make your night even better,” Sam says, holding up a golf pencil and a stack of small pieces of paper. “This place has a trivia competition tonight.”

“If by ‘better’ you mean infinitely worse,” Toby groans. 

“There’s a cash prize for the winning team,” Sam offers. 

“Okay, perhaps not  _ infinitely _ worse,” Toby relents, shooting CJ a glance. 

Toby’s sitting to CJ’s left, discussing the first trivia question with Sam. She leans in to try to add her two cents, but before she can even catch up, Sam darts over to the person running the game to turn in his answer. 

CJ looks at Josh. “Did you know he was this big of a nerd when you brought him on?”

“It’s  _ why _ I brought him on,” Josh says. “We all work for one of the world’s biggest nerds with a Nobel Prize to prove it, it's not like the bar hadn't been set.”

CJ laughs. “That's very true.”

“Seems like everyone survived while I was gone,” Josh starts, taking a sip of his drink. “I didn’t get too many phone calls.”

“We did survive. But just barely,” CJ smiles. “Margaret had to do the Heimlich maneuver on one of the newer volunteers. Guy choked on a grape.”

“A grape?” Josh asks, raising an eyebrow. “Could have at least been a hot dog or something.”

“Well, he hasn’t shown his face since, so I think he’s sufficiently embarrassed himself.”

“Sounds like it.”

CJ has grown to love Josh like a brother. An annoying brother who will taunt you until you snap, then tell on you to mom when he finally gets decked, but a brother nonetheless. He’s a little less high strung now that he has Donna as his assistant, which makes all their lives just a little easier. 

For a busy night, the food arrives quickly. The buffalo wings in front of her smell divine, even better than expected. CJ takes a quick glance around the table to make sure that everyone has their food, so she doesn’t look so desperate tearing into the wings, then starts to dig in.

CJ watches as Donna reaches over to Josh’s plate, grabbing half of his sandwich and swapping it with half of her own without even a hint of subtlety. Josh continues talking to Sam and Toby, fully aware of the switch happening in front of him but choosing to ignore it. Their dynamic, Josh and Donna’s, is fascinating to CJ. She’s not sure if it’s exhaustion that’s preventing him from calling out the switcheroo or if they’ve had this planned since they ordered their meals. Either way, it’s incredibly entertaining.

“Does he really think he can get away with that?” Toby asks. 

“No shop talk,” Donna admonishes without lifting her gaze from her plate. 

“I don’t know what he thinks but he is, in fact, getting away with it,” Josh answers. 

“No shop talk,” Donna repeats, her tone becoming increasingly exasperated. 

“I’m just saying,” Toby continues. “He won’t be able to keep it up for much longer. It’s going to backfire on him.”

“It may backfire, but in the meantime he’s going to drag his entire staff down with him on the sinking ship,” Josh adds. 

Donna suddenly puts her hand on Josh’s forearm. “Josh. Toby. Shop talk.”

Josh sighs. “Donna —”

“Don’t ‘Donna’ me, these were the rules you guys made up and agreed to,” she says, performing a second swap with half of her crinkle-cut fries and half of Josh’s tater tots. 

“Okay, first of all, Sam came up with the rule, not me. Second, I didn’t agree, I said I didn’t care. Those are two very different things.”

The room erupts into cheers and applause as the correct answer to the last question is revealed. CJ watches as Josh turns to Donna to say something. Donna leans to her left to hear him better and he repeats himself, gently placing his hand on her shoulder and moving forward, closer to her. Donna laughs, turning and talking directly into Josh’s ear with her response. 

CJ picks up another wing while Josh and Donna continue their conversation and Sam and Toby discuss the next question. Sam leans over and taps Josh on the shoulder, asking for Josh’s input on the answer they’re ready to hand in. Josh gives his approval briefly before turning his attention back to his conversation with Donna. 

It occurs to CJ that she should be offended that she wasn’t consulted about the answer. However, she also wasn’t paying attention to the question with the arrival of the Buffalo wings she’d been talking about for the better part of an hour, so she’s not sure she’d be much help anyway. But once the Buffalo wings are gone, and her drink has been refilled a couple of times, it’s apparent that she’s the fifth wheel here. Between Sam and Toby’s trivia and Josh and Donna’s… whatever they have going on, she can’t get a word in edgewise. 

The more she thinks about it, the stranger it seems. Sam and Toby’s behavior isn’t new; this teaming up happens at work regularly, so it seems to be the default in the after hours cap of their day. Josh and Donna banter back and forth plenty at work, but at least with what CJ has seen so far, Josh usually only does  _ this _ with a girl if… huh. 

_ Now this is intriguing _ , CJ thinks to herself. Donna did just help herself to half of Josh’s food with nary an eye roll from Josh. CJ estimates that they’ve scooted their chairs a few inches closer together since they arrived, too. She doesn’t have a ruler or anything, but she does have eyeballs.

Donna eventually realizes that CJ has been left out of the conversation and attempts to include her by recapping the conversation she and Josh just had. CJ listens intently as Donna starts to repeat the story, but stops as a realization washes over her. “It’s more of a ‘you had to be there’ moment, I guess it doesn’t really make much sense unless you saw the guy.”

CJ smiles. “Don’t worry about it. You two have big plans tonight?” 

“I was thinking I would check in back at HQ and see if Leo needed anything,” Josh starts. “But Donna says that Leo wouldn’t let me in anyway. So I’ll probably just call it an early night.”

“When was the last time you had an early night?” CJ challenges. “You’ll probably be up watching the news until at least 11.”

“That’s still early,” Josh insists. 

For the rest of the night, CJ notices that Donna makes an effort to bridge the conversation gap between everyone at the table. In fact, Donna’s knowledge of 1940s cinema pulls the team into second place, much to Sam and Toby’s delight. CJ finally gets a few answers in herself, one of which she learned from Governor Bartlet. It’s still surreal to her that she’s working on a presidential campaign where she’s met the candidate, let alone had enough time with him to give her little known facts on something.

Despite the team’s efforts, they fall just short of the cash prize, ending the night in fourth place. Sam and Toby are irate, Donna is appropriately and supportively disappointed, and Josh still seems numb. CJ knows what that feels like, even though it’s been a long time. 

“I find it hard to believe that a group as educated as the people at this table came in anything less than second place,” Sam says. “It’s unconscionable.”

“Fourth place is perfectly respectable,” Donna says. “I’m just glad I knew any of the answers, let alone got close enough to win.”

“It’s a travesty is what it is,” Toby adds. 

CJ laughs. “Don’t worry, Donna, I’m with you, I think fourth place is excellent. I am surprised at your knowledge of cinematic history, though.”

“We should have a movie marathon sometime,” Donna says. “I’m happy to share my commentary on the best picture list.”

“Deal,” CJ agrees.

“I think I’m gonna call it a night,” Josh says, opening his wallet and tossing some cash on the table for his (and Donna’s, CJ notices) portion of the tab. 

“So soon?” Sam asks. 

“Yeah, I need to take a shower. I think I still smell like I’ve been on a plane all day. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Josh stands up and puts on his jacket. 

Donna stands as well, saying her goodbyes to everyone at the table before exiting with Josh. Donna places her hand on Josh’s back as they make their way toward the front door. 

  
CJ downs the rest of her drink.  _ Very intriguing, indeed.  _


	2. Jed Bartlet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your kind words and suggestions for future characters to include in this story! You'll see them appear in the next few chapters, at least for a good portion of them! I'm attempting to go in some sort of headcanon/canon compliant chronological order here for now but who knows, I may change my mind. LOL. Anyway, this one is one I'm particularly proud of - something felt odd about referring to President Bartlet as "Jed" but... one doesn't refer to himself as President Bartlet so, there you go.

**Jed Bartlet | Nashua, New Hampshire | April 1998**

Jed’s deep in thought as he aimlessly wanders the Bartlet for America headquarters with a cup of coffee in one hand and the yet-to-be-read morning newspaper folded in the other. Abbey had kicked him out of bed early, sick of dealing with his tossing and turning, so he decided it was as good a time as any to start his day. 

He imagines this is how some of the greatest minds in history operated - insomniacs, insatiable, unable to stop the wheels in their brains from turning at any given moment. Though that does lead him to wonder - what did the inventor of the wheel have turning in his brain?

Jed chuckles to himself as he takes a sip of coffee. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a figure moving in one of the offices he’s passing. He stops to take a look and sees Donna seated at Josh’s desk, organizing papers into three different piles.

Donna was the assistant that Jed knew the least about - probably due to the fact that she had been here the shortest amount of time - but she quickly made a lasting impression. Surprisingly enough, she did this by leaving. 

There was always a part of Jed that was sort of a busybody. He actively tried not to let it show, often going so far as to feign disinterest or lack of knowledge, as it wasn’t one of his finest qualities. But he liked knowing what was going on, even if it wasn’t always his business. One of the interesting things about being in the position he was in was that people told him things. Perhaps these things were a diluted version of the truth or a more palatable version of whatever response was truly warranted, but  _ people told him things _ .

It only took a few well-placed questions to find out that Josh’s recent downward spiral was due to Donna’s departure. Jed learned that it was sudden and unexpected, and it completely unraveled Josh. He was more irritable and hot-tempered than usual, his sarcastic wit more biting and caustic than everyone was used to. Jed suspected that this was due to the passing of Josh’s father, but when Leo mentioned Josh’s assistant, it clicked. There was a direct correlation between Josh gaining and assistant and, to put it simply, Josh gaining some sense. He knows as well as anyone else that correlation does not equal causation, but if there’s ever a case that makes him wonder, it’s this. Her return was as unexpected as her departure, but it didn’t take much convincing to allow Josh to bring her back, this time as a salaried member of the campaign. 

On this particular morning, Jed decides, he’s going to allow himself the pleasure of being the busybody he tries not to be. He checks his watch - 6:13 AM. The campaign headquarters is still quiet, so he does his best not to startle Donna as he approaches Josh’s office.

“Donna,” Jed says, inviting himself in.

Donna puts down the files and pulls herself up on the desk, wobbling a little as she stands. “Good morning, Governor.”

“Sit, sit. Josh told me you had a nasty fall. You need to stay off that ankle, you hear me?” 

“Yes, sir,” Donna smiles. 

Jed nods. “Is it broken?”

“No, thankfully it’s not. The doctor told me to stay off of it for a week or so. Josh got me these crutches to use so I don’t re-aggravate it.”

“I can have Abbey take a look at it if you want,” Jed offers.

“No, thank you, sir. I’ll be okay. I appreciate it, though.”

Jed nods. “You’re here awfully early, especially considering the extra time it takes to get anywhere hobbling around on those awful things,” he says, motioning to the crutches leaned against the makeshift shelf behind her. 

“Well, while I was gone Josh... didn’t really keep anything organized,” Donna explains. “He’s got a few meetings first thing this morning and if I can at least get all of that information together and ready for when he gets here we can get off to a better start.”

“That’s good thinking. I hope he wasn’t too brusque to you upon your return,” Jed says.

“No, sir, he was incredibly kind and understanding,” Donna insists.

“Those are certainly two words I wouldn’t use to describe Josh Lyman, but I’ll take your word for it.”

“I think he can surprise people sometimes with that side of him, Governor, but… it’s there.” The smile on her face grows bigger and she exhales. “Is there something I can help you with until he gets here?”

“Oh, no, I just came by to chat a little. It occurred to me that I hadn’t really taken the opportunity to get to know you, and I wanted to rectify that. Please, don’t let me stop you from doing what you need to do to prepare for the day,” Jed answers.

“I’m actually… almost done,” Donna says, stapling a stack of papers and closing the three folders on the desk. She takes three post-it notes and writes a note on each, sticking the notes on the top of the folders. “It’s very kind of you to say hello, that means a lot.”

“Margaret tells me that you came from Wisconsin to join the campaign, is that right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“To hear her tell it, she had a bit of a rush of volunteers on the day you arrived, and she didn’t get a chance to assign you to someone before you created an assignment for yourself.”

Donna blushes, clearly unsure how to respond. “I —”

“Don't mistake my inquiry for disapproval. We applaud initiative around here,” Jed reassures her. “What brought you all the way to New Hampshire? Twice?”

“I… needed a change.”

“A change.”

Donna takes a moment to respond. She pushes her sweater up to her elbows and takes a deep breath. “I was in a relationship that ended badly. I... found myself wondering what my purpose was. Then I realized that I wanted to do something meaningful. Contribute to something that matters. Like I was meant to do something more.”

Jed nods before pulling up the chair that Donna usually sits in, and takes off his glasses. He recalls hearing something about this breakup now. “I often find myself thinking about destiny, about fate. I believe that God has a plan for us, that all of this is of his design. _ There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will _ .”

“Shakespeare.” Donna smiles.

“Indeed. I often think about what possesses us to make the decisions we do, what drives us to take action - actions that can change the course of our lives. Why Josh?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Why Josh? You could have walked into CJ’s office, Toby’s, anyone's, really. You could have waited to be assigned. You could have stayed in Wisconsin, or you could have chosen not to make the drive a second time. How did you end up in Joshua Lyman's office, precisely, it seems, where you were meant to be?”

Donna looks down. “Sir, I know that it’s probably difficult to trust me...”

Jed can tell the question has her feeling defensive, so he speaks carefully, ensuring that his tone is friendly and open. “Donna, Josh has assured me that we have no cause for concern with regards to your loyalty to the campaign, so I believe we have no cause for concern. Again, this is not admonishing you, nor is it coming from a place of judgment. I’m simply curious. Why Josh?”

He can tell she’s never really considered the answer to that question before. She tucks her hair behind her ears and folds her hands on the desk. “His phone was ringing off the hook. I believe in what you’re doing here and I wanted to be a part of it so… I found a way to be included.”

“You felt compelled to make yourself indispensable. A fine strategy,” Jed smiles. “Donna, I don’t often find myself giving unsolicited advice… ah, what the hell, I find myself giving unsolicited advice quite often.”

This earns a laugh from Donna. 

“Let’s try that again. May I offer you some advice?”

“Of course,” Donna says. 

“Surround yourself with people who find you indispensable. People who can’t imagine their lives without you. People who realize that their very existence is made better because you are here. People who strive to improve and to grow because you challenge them to do so. Do you understand?”

Donna smiles. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Jed stands up and begins to walk away, but he finds himself returning to his original spot. “We’re all very glad you’re back, you know. None of us, though, more than Josh.”

Donna starts to play with a stack of post-its, and Jed can tell she’s trying to hide how happy that makes her. “That’s nice to hear. I was worried he wouldn’t take me back.”

“Well, it’s truly baffling to me that a man who reminds us of his SAT scores fortnightly has trouble expressing himself where it counts. But it’s clear to me that he’s very fond of you, Donna, and that he’s grateful you chose to return.”

“That’s very kind of you to say,” Donna answers, “I’m very fond of him, too… of all of you.”

Jed smiles. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

“Oh, no thank you, sir. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? I don’t think you’ll be able to maneuver very well with a hot cup of coffee and crutches. That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.” Jed doesn’t wait for an answer this time, leaving the office and preparing a cup of coffee for Donna. He tosses a few creams and sugars in an extra styrofoam cup and returns to Josh’s office. Jed watches as Donna clears a space on Josh’s desk, and he places the cups in the newly available space.

“Thank you,” Donna says. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I didn’t have to, but I did anyway,” Jed says with a wink. Donna begins to prepare her coffee as the front door opens, then slams suddenly. “I’ll give you two guesses as to who that is,” Jed teases.

“DONNA!”

Donna reaches for her crutches and maneuvers her way around the desk. “I hate to cut our conversation short,” she says.

“Not a problem at all,” Jed answers, moving out of Donna’s way. 

“DONNA!” Josh shouts again, this time his tone more excited than the previous time.

“Give the woman a moment to collect herself, Josh, it’s not exactly easy to rush to your aid when she’s experiencing mobility issues,” Jed says, loud enough so that his voice will carry to the front door. “Mobility issues, I might add, that you have made worse by insisting that she use those damn crutches.”

“Good morning, Governor,” Josh says, picking up the pace as he makes his way toward his office, carrying a large box. 

Jed sips his coffee and tucks the paper under his arm, moving out of the doorway for Josh to enter his office. 

The day goes by quickly between meet-and-greets and press time, and before Jed has a moment to take it all in, it’s nearly 8:00 PM. The majority of the usual suspects have filed out, save for a select few who will likely either spend the night in their offices or leave within a short amount of time themselves.

There’s some noise coming from across the campaign office that catches his attention. Jed peers above the polling numbers in his hand and watches from a distance as Josh leans on the front of his desk, arms outstretched and volume escalating as he becomes more passionate in his stance on whatever it is they’re discussing. 

Donna doesn’t look up from the work she’s doing. She’s seated in a chair in the corner, close enough to Josh’s desk to answer any phone calls. Jed can see her mouth moving but he can’t make out what she’s saying. 

Josh leans his head back and laughs, a more full and genuine laugh than Jed has ever seen from Josh. He watches as Josh folds his arms, shakes his head, and steals a French fry from Donna’s take out container before he makes his way toward his chair. 

Then, Josh reaches for the drink on his desk, takes a sip, and after a moment or two of what Jed can only assume is bickering, Josh hands the drink to Donna. Donna takes a big sip and returns it to Josh, tapping her pen between her thumb and index finger as she watches him intently. Josh accepts the cup and shakes it, then pops the lid open, glaring at Donna and shaking his head before finishing it off and tossing it into the trash can by his desk. 

Jed watches for a moment as they work. Donna answers the phone, hands it to Josh, and begins to collect the remaining trash from their dinner that she can grab without standing up. She points to a few items just out of her reach, and Josh hands them to her, pressing the phone between his ear and his shoulder. Donna places the stray trash into the plastic bag the food came in and drops it into the trash can. When they’re done cleaning up, she grabs the legal pad from the corner of his desk along with a sharpie, seemingly crossing things off a ‘to do’ list. 

Josh hangs up the phone and then checks his watch. He grabs his jacket and puts it on, then hands Donna her jacket before retrieving her crutches from across the room. He holds out his hands and she places her hands in his, using him to help her stand. He steps out of the way for Donna to exit the office first, then follows her toward the front. 

“You don’t have to drive me, Josh,” Donna says. 

“Donna, I’m not letting you take the bus this late. Don’t be ridiculous. We need to get you in at the hotel down the street so you’re not hauling ass back and forth across town every morning. And no, you're not taking a cab, so don't start."

“I’ll get paid in a couple of weeks now that I’m on salary, I’ll get a room then,” Donna answers. “I’m fine where I am for now, really.”

“And you say  _ I’m  _ the petulant child. No, I’m getting you a room,” Josh insists. “End of discussion. Come on, let’s go.”

The two continue to bicker as they make their way toward the door, Josh matching Donna’s pace and holding the door for her as they exit.

  
Perhaps Donna was right about Josh being kind and understanding. Jed shakes his head as he tosses the polling numbers on the table beside him.  _ He sure had a funny way of showing it _ .


	3. Leo McGarry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to all of you for your kind words on this story! I think this one takes place maybe riiiight after Bartlet's chapter in my head.

**Leo McGarry | Boston, Massachusetts | April 1998**

When Leo convinced Jed to run for President, he anticipated being Jed’s right-hand man. He pictured advising Jed on the issues, helping to shape campaign policies and platforms, and ensuring the campaign itself gave the Governor a good potential (hopefully not) last hurrah in politics. 

There was also a lot that came with this job that he didn’t expect. No one expected the Bartlet campaign to still be standing by this point. Well, no one outside of the campaign, perhaps. The fact that they’re fresh off the heels of the Illinois primary formulating plans for the Democratic National Convention, let alone Election Night, still takes Leo by surprise sometimes. He knows it surprises Jed, too. 

Leo knows that a big portion of the credit for Jed’s success goes to the people traveling on this bus. But he also knows that the people on this bus need a lot of… well, _babysitting_. 

That’s the thing he least expected. 

With so many different personalities coming together, many of them intense, it can get tricky to manage. They’re all adults, and they mostly behave like adults… until they don’t. Leo knows he and Jed have handpicked a team of brilliant, hard-working, passionate people who also happen to have the collective maturity of middle schoolers sometimes. (Jed included.)

On this particular day, the campaign bus isn’t even moving yet and Josh has already pushed CJ’s buttons to the point where CJ felt it necessary to throw her rolled-up pair of gloves at him. Her terrible aim resulted in the gloves hitting Leo as he attempted to make his way to his seat, and Leo found himself breaking it up before he even sat down. 

“Is it just me, or is it freezing in here?” Josh asks, taking a seat across from Leo on the bus followed closely by Donna, who slides into the seat next to Josh. “This bus has already been running for a little bit, hasn’t it? Shouldn’t it be warmer?”

Leo doesn’t even bother to look up from his newspaper to dignify that comment with a response. They’re on their way to Boston, in April, and it’s about to be even colder there than it is here in Philadelphia. Josh is from Connecticut, so Leo knows he’s no stranger to the games the New England weather plays in early spring. It has been unseasonably chilly on the campaign trail, and it’s certainly not unheard of to have snow on the ground in April.

Donna sighs. “You’re being a baby, Josh.”

“I’m not being a baby. It’s cold and you know it.”

“I’m from Wisconsin, I’ve been colder,” Donna replies without missing a beat. 

“Josh is right for once, Leo, it is pretty cold in here,” CJ says. “One of the reporters just asked me if the heat’s broken on the bus.”

Leo sighs and folds the newspaper. “This is a non-story, CJ, give them something else to focus on.”

“Everything’s a story at this point,” CJ argues. “What else can I talk to them about?”

“Absolutely anything else,” Leo says, exasperated.

CJ shoves her hands in her pockets. “Do you really want to have to have people further scrutinizing our campaign finances to determine why we couldn’t afford a bus with heat that works properly?”

“We _can_ afford a bus with heat that works properly,” Leo insists. 

“You know that, and I know that, but Jim Beckman in Scranton, Pennsylvania doesn’t know that,” CJ says, gesticulating as she emphasizes her point.

Leo rolls his eyes. “Who’s Jim Beckman?”

“Just a guy I made up.”

“Why would you make up a guy?”

“What, would you rather I have called him Joe Schmoe? Does it matter if he’s a real guy or not?”

“Can we focus?” Toby pipes up. “One way to solve this problem is to determine if the heat is able to be fixed.”

“For crying out loud,” Leo says, getting up and making his way toward the front of the bus.

A quick conversation with the bus driver reveals that the trip from Pittsburgh to Boston should take about five hours, putting their arrival at just after 11 PM. According to the bus driver, the heat issue is likely an easy fix, and in fact, the heat could kick in halfway through the trip. Until then, they’re out of luck unless they’re willing to blow the next day’s schedule to hell.

Leo relays this to the rest of the team. They let out a collective groan at the knowledge that this may not be fixed prior to their arrival in Boston. 

“That’s going to look great for us when the Governor catches a cold from being on a bus with no heat. I can see it now, Danny Concannon himself is going to write the headline. ‘Bus Blunder Leaves Bartlet Bedridden’,” Toby grumbles. 

“Hey, that was pretty good,” Sam interjects.

“It has a little bit of a punch to it,” Josh says. “If I wrote it I would be smug about it.”

“Alliteration isn’t Danny’s style,” CJ insists. “But you’re right, it was pretty good.”

“It’s not accurate anyway,” Josh adds. “The thing about getting sick from being in the cold. It’s a myth. You’d have to come in contact with some sort of virus to get sick, or you’d have to have a pre-existing condition that leaves you more susceptible to illness.”

“Do you think the Governor traveling as much as he is, working 18-20 hour days, isn’t enough to leave you with a weakened immune system?” Toby argues.

“The Governor’s from New Hampshire,” Leo reminds everyone. “He’s tougher than most when it comes to the cold.”

“Josh,” Donna says softly as CJ and Toby continue to debate. “I think this is an easy fix.”

“You have an idea?” Josh taps Leo on the arm and motions toward Donna. 

“We can make a run for coffee, maybe decaf since it’s getting late, or whatever hot drinks we can get before we get too delayed. Get a couple of big… you know, the boxes? There aren’t that many reporters on the bus tonight anyway, it should be easy to keep everyone warm for a little while. I think there’s just two or three of them, plus all of us.”

“Hey,” Josh says, straightening up in his seat. “I think she’s on to something.”

Leo watches as Donna’s demeanor changes when Josh says this. Her face lights up, and her smile is wider and brighter. Leo decides that this idea is better than the potential story, as absurd as it is. This is just one of those things he never pictured himself managing. “I like it. That’s a start.”

“What’s a start?” Sam asks. 

“Tell them what you just told us,” Josh encourages her.

Donna repeats her plan for everyone this time, a little more confidently than before. “We could probably get enough coffee for everyone to have a couple of cups each.”

“It’s a good idea, except for when we all have to pee in an hour and a half,” CJ points out.

“No one has to drink it,” Toby points out. “It’s a dog and pony show to distract anyone who may spin this. And we have a bathroom on the bus, you know.”

"That's a story in and of itself," CJ groans.

Leo nods. “It’s better than the alternative. If anyone asks, we just tell them the heat will likely kick on during our trip and the Governor, being from New Hampshire, isn’t at all concerned about the lack of heat on the bus. Then offer them some coffee.”

“Be sure to tell them the thing about getting sick being a myth,” Josh adds. “The Governor’s wife is a doctor, she can vouch for that.”

“You’re awfully proud of the fact that you know that’s not true, aren’t you, Joshua?” Donna asks.

“Why can’t I be proud of the fact that I know that?”

“I didn’t say you _couldn’t_ be proud,” Donna answers. “I’m just pointing out that you _are_ proud.”

“We’ll hold the bus. Josh, Donna, go get the hot drinks. There’s a Starbucks a block that way,” Leo instructs, pointing out the window. 

Josh and Donna exit the bus, arguing over the number of cups of coffee this trip will yield. 

Donna’s no Margaret, but she’s a good girl. She certainly made enough of an impression on Josh to have him insist on keeping her around when she returned after an unplanned leave of absence of some sort. Josh didn’t tell Leo what all that was about, except to say that it was personal and wouldn’t have any effect on her work. Of the new assistants, Donna is probably the one Leo would be the most disappointed to lose if they don’t win the election. She works hard, she can read the room, and she can keep Josh in line, which is no easy feat. 

Josh and Donna soon return carrying one box of coffee each - one decaf, one regular. After the bus departs and everyone who wants a cup of coffee has been served, they rejoin Leo. 

“Donna Moss, you just saved us from a very unpleasant news cycle,” Josh declares, dropping dramatically into his seat. 

Donna sits down next to Josh, holding a cup of decaf coffee and delicately blowing on it. “And don’t you forget it.” There’s a moment of silence between the two of them before Donna turns her head to see Josh staring at her expectantly. “What?”

“You’re not going to get me any?”

“If you want some, go get it yourself, Josh.”

“Seriously?”

“I don’t get your coffee,” Donna says. “That’s not part of my job description.”

“You made up your job description because you made up your job,” Josh points out. 

“How convenient for me,” Donna answers. 

Leo takes a sip of his coffee and turns his attention to the papers in front of him. He’s gotten very good at tuning out these sorts of things with the increase in the amount of time they’re all spending together in such close proximity. The bus is pretty spacious, all things considered, but when you can’t get a minute of peace and quiet, sometimes you have to create your own peace and quiet.

It’s interesting to see the shift in rhetoric from the news outlets over the last few weeks. Leo spends the trip scanning through national and local newspaper coverage of the election - most of them seem to have a little more faith in Jed than they did this time a week ago, but Leo is still fairly certain they’re underestimating how close this election will be. 

The bus is soon quiet. Some people are working, but most are sleeping. Leo’s train of thought is interrupted by the sound of footsteps, and he turns around to see Jed walking down the aisle of the bus. Leo moves the newspaper out of the seat next to him and Jed sits down. 

“We’re about ten minutes out,” Jed says, keeping his voice down. “I was going to have you call a late-night strategy meeting, but it’s probably wise to let everyone go to their rooms, lest they lose an appendage to frostbite. We’ll just have a quick roundup tomorrow morning.”

“Probably a good idea, even if it’s just to avoid hearing the whining,” Leo agrees. 

Jed nudges Leo and motions toward Josh and Donna huddled together across from them. Josh and Donna have fallen asleep - her head is resting on Josh’s shoulder and Josh’s arm is wrapped around her, pulling her toward him. They’re sharing a pink blanket, presumably from Donna’s luggage. “They got something going on?”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d be able to tell me,” Leo chuckles. “Want me to tell them to knock it off?”

Jed shakes his head. “Nah.” He claps a hand on Leo’s shoulder and makes his way toward the back of the bus. 

Leo has noticed lately that Josh is just like Noah in many ways. This happens to be one of them. If Noah were still around, he’d deny it outright - he’d tell you he was much more subtle when it came to Rachel. Leo would laugh, and counter that Noah was not at all subtle. Leo even reminded Noah of that the last time they ever talked.

_“He’s a natural, Noah,” Leo said. “He’s great at this job.”_

_“He tells me that it’s a lot easier now that he has an assistant,” Noah continued._

_“He has an assistant? I hadn’t heard,” Leo answered sarcastically._

_“He seems to really like her.”_

_“Hadn’t noticed,” Leo said, in the same tone as before._

_“Leo,” Noah laughed. “Come on. He gets tunnel vision, you and I both know that. You just have to wonder what’s at the other end of the tunnel sometimes.”_

_“Sounds like someone else I know. Waited three whole months to propose to Rachel. Talk about tunnel vision.”_

_Noah ignored that comment. “Ten dollars says the next time he talks to you, he mentions her name.”_

_“Think it’s going anywhere?”_

_“Tough to say, Leo. I think he’d deny it if you asked him, but I think it’s possible. I just hope he doesn’t sit on it for too long. I've talked to her a few times when I've tried to get a hold of Josh. She's smart as a whip. Seems really nice. She'd be good for him."_

Leo’s known Josh for a long time, but he can’t say he’s ever really paid close attention to Josh’s romantic pursuits. Whatever he’s heard, he’s heard mostly from Noah and Rachel. He gets bits and pieces of stories from around Washington, too, but chooses to ignore them for his own sanity. Well, that, and sometimes the less he knows, the better off he is. 

Leo reaches over and taps Josh, who stretches and opens his eyes. “Five minutes.”

Josh nods. “Donna,” he whispers. He gently moves her arm to try to wake her. “Donna.”

Donna stirs but doesn’t open her eyes. She stretches her arm across Josh’s lap as though she’s trying to pull him closer. 

“Donna,” he says, this time gently nudges her arm. “Come on, we gotta get up.”

She sits up and blinks, looking around the bus. She smiles and takes her blanket, steadying herself before she stands up. “I’ll wake everyone else up,” Donna says, trying to stifle a yawn. She walks down the aisle of the bus, moving toward CJ, who is seated toward the back. 

With Donna out of earshot, Leo looks at Josh. “Is there something going on there?”

“What do you mean?”

“With Donna,” Leo says. “Is there something going on? With the… blanket, and the canoodling.”

Josh laughs in disbelief. “ _Canoodling_? She fell asleep on me. It’s cold. There’s no heat on this bus.”

“Not what I asked you, Josh,” Leo says. 

“Seriously, Leo, she’s my assistant.”

“Also not what I asked.”

Josh sighs. He leans his head back on the headrest of his seat. Before he can respond, Jed appears from the back of the bus.

“All right, everyone, if I could have your attention, please. We’re currently arriving in beautiful Boston, Massachusetts, the birthplace of American Liberty. Boston is said to have been founded in 1630…” Jed starts. 

Donna attempts to return to her seat when the bus turns sharply, causing her to nearly tumble onto Josh. He catches her and props her up so she can sit down as the bus comes to a stop.

Josh looks at Leo, then down at his hands folded in his lap, and back at Leo once more. Josh doesn’t need to say anything for Leo to know exactly what he’s thinking. 

Leo simply nods. 


	4. Zoey Bartlet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for hanging out and chatting with me on tumblr! Same name there if you wanna say hi. I'm still working on Almost Honest and should be able to update that next week... and then I'm debating what to do next. I have an AU I'm working on and I also have a big canon-compliant fic in the works, so it's just a matter of whatever feels right when Almost Honest is done. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> This one's a Zoey-centric chapter. Josh and Zoey have such an interesting sibling-like dynamic and I wanted to explore that a bit. Also, I know that the show played fast and loose with Zoey's age at various points so I picked an age and stuck with it.

**Zoey Bartlet | Savannah, Georgia | July 1998**

Senator Trent’s 4th of July party is honestly pretty boring most of the time. Zoey’s been coming to this party almost every year since she was eight, and it seems to get more and more boring with each passing year. She’s always the youngest one there, and since Ellie went off to school, she doesn’t have anyone else to commiserate with. She knows her dad and the Senator are good friends, but she doesn’t understand why her dad doesn’t pick a more... relevant place to celebrate the 4th than Savannah, Georgia. For someone who's so in tune with history, you'd think he'd at least want to celebrate where the action happened.

Her cheeks hurt from smiling. And not in the good way, where she's been laughing with people and she's genuinely happy because she's having a good time. It’s the fake political smile, to go with the fake political voice that’s just a smidge higher than her actual voice.  At least the food’s great. Maybe when she’s old enough to drink these things will be a little less dull. Then again, once she’s old enough to drink, her 4th of July plans will probably be a little less Bartlet-centric.

After yet another round of the same mind-numbing small talk with people four times her age, Zoey grabs a few handfuls of marshmallows to toast. She looks around and catches a glimpse of Toby and CJ, sitting at a table with her parents and another couple she hasn’t met. It’s somewhat comforting that Toby looks just as bored as she is. 

The senior staff on this campaign have been much easier to talk to than the staffers of her dad’s previous campaigns. Josh, Sam, CJ, and even Toby treat her like she’s an actual human person. Donna’s an assistant, so Zoey doesn’t know her as well, but she’s always genuine. They all ask her things other than ‘how’s school?’ and ‘have you started applying to colleges?’. 

Plus, they’re actually interesting people. CJ, for example, almost always knows if a celebrity is a nice person in real life. Sam taught her how to juggle. Donna is always the best at ‘who’s that guy from that thing?’. Toby is the only other person in the world who knows that Zoey actually likes to write. Josh is funny, and a great storyteller. He’s the big brother she never had. (Doug doesn’t count.) 

Her dad’s campaign team, for the most part, is also significantly younger than most of the staffers from any other campaigns she can remember. Well, maybe not  _ significantly, _ but young enough where their personal lives are still somewhat interesting. Their romantic pursuits, in particular. It’s probably a little intrusive, being so intrigued by what these people are doing in their love lives, but she’s starved for entertainment.

Donna’s boyfriend broke up with her, and that’s how she ended up working for the campaign. Zoey doesn’t know what the deal is with Toby and Andy, but there’s some chemistry there, regardless of where they end up. CJ can flirt with any guy and pretty much reduce them to a puddle of goo. She should teach a master class. Zoey’s seen pictures of Lisa, Sam’s now ex-fiancée. She’s pretty. Zoey gets the idea that things may have ended badly, but she could see them together. 

Zoey has no idea how to read Josh’s situation. Josh just seems like he’s a disaster with women. Whatever Josh sees in Mandy must be pretty physical, because it seems like everyone else honestly finds her irritating. _Is Mandy even here?_ She’s heard references to Josh being interested in Donna, but Zoey hasn’t been around them long enough to get a sense of whether or not that’s true.

Speaking of Josh, Zoey notices that Josh has disappeared. She eventually spots him across the spacious backyard, leaning against a tree and having a heated conversation on his cell phone. Zoey decides to approach him, keeping her distance at first. She sees him snap the phone shut and sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Everything okay?” Zoey asks. 

Josh nods. “Yeah. Yeah. Everything’s fine.”

“You did the whole ‘you’re exasperating’ thing,” Zoey says, mimicking his earlier gesture. “I kind of just assumed that was Mandy.”

“No comment.” 

Maybe Josh is starting to find Mandy irritating, too. 

Josh walks over toward a nearby picnic table and takes a seat. Zoey joins him, grabbing a handful of graham crackers, some chocolate, and a plate for her marshmallows before sitting next to him. 

“Want a s’more?” Zoey offers. “The marshmallows are extra crispy.”

Josh raises his eyebrows. “Donna told you about the burger, didn’t she?”

“No comment,” Zoey says, in the same tone Josh used a few moments prior. 

Josh laughs. “Wow. Okay.”

“If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen,” Zoey says, sitting up a little straighter. 

“Just because I like my burgers burned doesn't mean I like everything burned. No matter what Donna says.”

“Do you want one or not?” Zoey closes a s’more and holds it up. 

Josh extends his hand and accepts the s’more from Zoey. He takes a bite of it and washes it down with a swig of beer.

“I heard they’re predicting we’ll win California,” Zoey says, swatting at a mosquito. 

Josh nods. “Hope you’ve got your teen heartthrob posters ready for your White House bedroom walls.”

“I’ll have you know that I have interests beyond teen heartthrobs,” Zoey insists. “Many of my interests can be represented in various forms of wall decor aside from just posters of celebrities.”

“Of course you have other interests. But you’re also sixteen. So next to your academic achievement awards and pictures of your friends and all the spots you want to visit in Paris someday, you’ll have posters of David Cassidy and Donny Osmond.”

“Rome, Nick Carter, and Rider Strong. But point taken.”

“See? I’m pretty good at this.”

Zoey laughs. “You don’t think that’s putting the cart before the horse, though? I asked Toby earlier and he just said something about wrath and spitting.”

“The sad thing is, I know exactly what you’re talking about,” Josh says. “Donna got the same speech from him last week.”

“I heard Donna left for a while,” Zoey says. “My dad was telling me a little about it.”

“Yeah. She went back to her old boyfriend,” Josh says, a surprising amount of venom in his voice.

“But then she came back?”

“Yeah.”

“I also heard you were a mess without her,” Zoey continues. 

“I wasn’t  _ a mess _ . I didn’t have an assistant,” Josh counters. 

Zoey can tell that this is something that’s been pointed out to him a lot. He almost seems defensive. Maybe there’s more to Josh and Donna than she realized. She continues to press. “But you were glad she came back.”

“Of course I was,” Josh says, without hesitation. “She’s invaluable.”

Neither Josh nor Zoey says anything for a few minutes. Zoey takes some time to consider her approach. She could attack this any number of ways, really, and more than likely she wouldn’t end up with any more information than she had when she started. But she’s at a boring party, with mostly boring people, so she has to have a little fun somehow. She decides that being direct is probably the best approach. “Do you have a crush on Donna?” Zoey finally asks. 

Josh chokes on his beer, sputtering and coughing. The question clearly catches him off guard. 

“Smooth,” Zoey teases, jokingly patting him on the back. “Guess that answers my question.”

Josh manages to catch his breath. “Where the hell did that come from?”

Zoey shrugs. “I notice things. You talk about her a lot.”

“She’s my assistant,” Josh says. “We spend a lot of time together. Of course I’m going to talk about her.”

“I mean, it’s not like you two are subtle about it,” Zoey says, making another s’more. 

“There’s nothing to be subtle about because there’s nothing going on,” Josh protests.

“Says the guy who choked on his beer when I asked.” 

“I’m dating Mandy,” Josh reminds her. He keeps avoiding directly answering the question. It’s a typical politician’s non-denial denial, and Zoey’s on to him now.

“I’ll bet you $10 that you and Mandy won’t make it to August,” Zoey says. 

“You’re on.”

The two sit quietly for another minute and Josh downs the rest of his beer. Zoey can’t decide if Josh is completely oblivious or deliberately obtuse. Either way, he clearly needs some help.

“Can I give you some advice?” she finally asks.

Josh laughs. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Zoey shakes her head. “I’m serious. You need this advice. Well, I think you do, at least. You can take it or leave it, but I think you should take it.”

“If this is about Donna…”

“I think you should tell her. Maybe right around Election Day. Election Day makes perfect sense because regardless of how the election goes, there’s a transition period. There’s a natural end to one thing and a beginning to another. You have time to figure things out,” Zoey says. “It’s definitely mutual. I’ve seen how she looks at you, so don’t even ask me what would happen if she wasn’t interested. And my dad doesn’t care. I don’t know what everyone else will think, but as you may know, my dad is a hopeless romantic.”

“Seriously, Zoey,” Josh starts. 

“Seriously, Josh,” Zoey repeats in the same cadence. “Take my advice or don’t, but I’m trying to make your life easier.”

“I’m gonna find a spot to watch the fireworks,” Josh says, starting to stand up from the table. 

“There’s a treehouse on the other side of the property. It’s not like a little kid’s treehouse. It’s actually pretty swanky. You can see the fireworks from up there without craning your neck. No one really goes up there because they all like to gather on the grass or the dock,” Zoey explains. 

Josh stands up and takes Zoey’s plate of s’mores. “Thanks for the s’mores,” he says, disappearing back into the crowd. 

Zoey checks her watch. She spends exactly seven minutes saying hello to a few more of her dad’s friends before excusing herself to make her way to her spot for the fireworks. She makes it almost all the way to the top of the treehouse stairs before she hears a voice. 

“Are you sure Senator Trent won’t care?” 

_ That’s Donna’s voice.  _

Zoey grins. Finally, something exciting is happening at this party!

She stops her ascent, holding her breath and carefully taking a seat on the top stair leading to the treehouse. Zoey leans against the outer wall of the treehouse and positions herself so that she can get a decent view of Josh and Donna and the fireworks without being seen. 

“He probably won’t even notice,” Josh shrugs. “Why do I get the idea that you never did anything rebellious as a teenager?”

“I did, too!” Donna protests.

“What, got home one minute past curfew?” Josh asks.

“If you must know, there was a time during which I was known to sneak out of the house,” Donna insists. 

“Really?”

“Yes,” Donna says, reaching for Josh’s beer. “Is that so surprising?”

“I asked you if you wanted a beer. You said no.”

She doesn’t reply, just gestures with her hand again, and he gives her the beer without further protest. 

“Yes, it is surprising, actually,” Josh continues, circling back to their earlier conversation. “So what happened? Did you get caught?”

Donna hands him the beer. “No, I didn’t get caught.”

“So you kept sneaking around?”

“I felt so guilty about it that I never did it again,” she admits.

Josh shakes his head and laughs. “Donnatella Moss, you are quite something.”

Zoey watches as the crowd on the ground gathers on the dock and in the grass, settling in to find a place to watch the fireworks display. 

“How did you even find this spot?” Donna asks. 

Zoey’s hands fly to her mouth instinctively. She exhales so she doesn’t let out a loud groan. She silently prays that Josh doesn’t mention her - he needs to take all the credit for this one.

“I was on the phone earlier,” Josh says. “I ended up taking a walk. That’s when I first saw it.”

Zoey smiles. That wasn't a completely hopeless move. The fireworks begin and Donna leans forward on the railing. Josh slides up next to her, mirroring her posture.

“This view is incredible,” Donna says. 

“Yeah,” Josh agrees. “Imagine what the view’s like from the White House.”

“That’s a carefully worded statement,” Donna points out. “But I see where you’re going with it.”

“Well, I don’t wanna have to leave in the middle of the fireworks to go and spit,” Josh laughs. “Think about it though.”

“Are people at the White House as stingy with their s’mores as you?” Donna asks, playfully bumping him with her shoulder. 

Josh gently bumps her back before grabbing the plate and presenting it to her so she can take her pick from the s’mores. 

Donna watches the fireworks and eats her s’mores, telling Josh about how she used to celebrate the 4th growing up in Wisconsin. Zoey notices that Josh isn’t watching the fireworks at all - he’s watching Donna, hanging on her every word. 

A week later, Zoey receives a blank greeting card with a $10 bill in it. The return address is the Bartlet for America campaign headquarters. 


	5. Abbey Bartlet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I was planning on updating this later in the week but the spirit of Abbey Bartlet started flowing through me to write this. And here we are. Abbey Bartlet is a dream to write, I hope I did her justice. Her voice is just so clear in my head. Thanks to all of you who have been reading here and chatting with me on Tumblr - your tags give me life, your reviews motivate me, your messages make me smile, and your nudges to write are wonderfully helpful. Come say hi if you want to!

**Abbey Bartlet | Washington, D.C. | January 1999**

“How does it feel to be at your first inaugural ball?”

“Actually, this is our third of the night,” Abbey answers, taking a long sip of champagne. 

Abbey knows what the intent was behind the question, but it’s all she can do not to roll her eyes. Some of these women think they can make her feel like she doesn’t belong here. She’s earned it just as much as Jed has, for starters. Not to mention the fact that Jed had an inaugural ball as governor. There's not much that can make Abigail Bartlet feel like she doesn't have just as much a right to be here as anyone else. 

This ball has been different, though, she’ll admit that. Abbey knew they could get here someday; she never doubted it. But even she has the good sense to know that Jed wasn’t elected in a landslide, and they have some work ahead of them. The least she can do is catch up with a few old friends and help pave the way for any future dealings. She excuses herself from the conversation with the uppity woman from New Jersey and finds some familiar faces.

She’s in the middle of catching up with a Congressman Jed worked closely with when she feels a pull on her arm. “Gary, I’m sorry to interrupt, but if you’ll excuse us,” Jed says, “I need to borrow my wife for just a moment.”

“Of course, Mr. President,” Gary says.

Jed pulls Abbey out of the way and leads her toward a more secluded area of the large ballroom. He leans toward her ear, ensuring that she can hear him over the music. “You’re welcome,” he says with a smile.

“Excuse me?” 

“I just saved you from Gary. You’re welcome,” Jed says, taking Abbey’s hand in his.

“I didn’t ask you to do that,” Abbey sighs. “Our conversation was perfectly pleasant.”

Jed furrows his brow. “You had that look on your face.”

“What look?”

“The ‘I’m going to fling myself off the nearest bridge if I have to make any more inane small talk with these people’ look,” Jed says, gesturing toward the group of people he just pulled her away from.

Abbey laughs. It’s really very sweet of him, despite the fact that he could have saved her fifteen minutes earlier and she would have had to stop herself from dragging him to the residence and having her way with him. It takes him a bit to catch on, but he does pay attention. “That look was residual frustration with Patricia Schroeder.”

“She's the one from Utah? With the stories about championship tennis?”

“New Jersey. But yes.”

Jed groans. “She’s intolerable.”

“Which is why I was making the face you keep referring to.”

Jed squeezes her hand. “Well, what say you and I stay close to each other the rest of the evening? That way I can better understand your cryptic signals.”

“If you insist,” Abbey says, attempting to sound indifferent. “I was going to try to work the room for you.”

“Abigail, you don’t have to do any of the work for me. You are hereby ordered by the leader of the free world to enjoy your evening. Drink lots of champagne, eat lots of hors d'oeuvres, and mingle with whomever you please. Your job is to be beautiful and charming, as you always are.”

“If I didn’t know better I would have thought I just heard you say that all I have to do is stand here and look pretty,” Abbey says, feigning offense. “And to be so ordered by the leader of the free world.”

“Perhaps that’s what you heard, but I think I’ve made my intentions very clear,” Jed answers, leaning in for a kiss.

“Have you seen our daughter?” Abbey asks, stopping him before he connects.

“Dancing with Sam,” Jed answers lazily, pulling her closer and resuming his attempt to kiss her.

Abbey lets him this time. After all, it will probably annoy Patricia Schroeder.

Jed takes her by the hand, stationing them just to the right of the dance floor. Abbey takes in the scene as someone comes up to talk to Jed. After acknowledging the man’s presence, Abbey scans the room to look for Zoey. The place is surrounded by secret service agents, but she should at least lay eyes on her daughter rather than rely on the word of a man who still can’t properly read a ‘save me’ signal after as long as they’ve been together. 

Abbey sees CJ laughing with Leo on the other side of the ballroom. CJ is always easy to pick out of a crowd - not just because she’s tall, but because she has a presence about her. Press secretary will look good on her. She works a room well.

Zoey is indeed dancing with Sam, and they both seem to be enjoying themselves. Abbey thought Zoey might be nervous, but she brushed off any concerns Abbey asked her about earlier in the day. 

“You look distracted,” a voice says from Abbey’s left.

Josh smiles at her and holds up a plate with various hors d'oeuvres on it. Abbey takes a meatball off the plate. “My husband was right here next to me, but he seems to have wandered off. You’re surprisingly adventurous tonight,” she says, motioning toward the plate. 

“Donna’s making me try some different things,” Josh sighs. “The meatballs are okay. I don’t know what the little thing in the middle was, but I don’t recommend it.”

“Donna’s here?” Abbey asks, taking the  _ thing in the middle _ from Josh’s plate, which appears to be some sort of stuffed mushroom.

“She’s my plus one,” Josh says. “Not… in that way. Just… you know, since we got a plus one, and I don’t… have a plus one. I figured I’d invite her since she did a lot of work on the campaign.”

“Where is she?” Abbey asks. “If she's your plus one, you need to at least pretend like you'd like to spend some time with her. Unlike the man who I've chosen to accompany.”

Josh puts another meatball in his mouth and quickly chews. “She just went to the restroom. She'll find me when she's done.”

Abbey nods. She notices Donna lingering near the restroom doors, a worried expression on her face. Donna's wearing a simple royal purple gown and her hair is curled for the occasion. Abbey's never seen Donna as done up as she is. Abbey waves and she can see the relief wash over Donna as she catches her eye. Abbey leans over to Josh and conspiratorially whispers, “She looks gorgeous tonight, don't you think?”

It's amusing to see Josh Lyman at a loss for words. He obviously doesn't know what to say - his eyes are wide and his eyebrows have nearly met his hairline. Abbey watches Josh finish the rest of the champagne he’s holding in his other hand, then place it on a nearby table. “She does,” he finally agrees.

“I sure hope you told her so.”

“If I didn't, she'd never let me hear the end of it. I have to keep her on my good side.” Josh is joking, but Abbey knows there's more than a kernel of truth in his statement. 

“You’re right. She keeps you in line, and we don't want to upset that delicate balance,” Abbey insists.

“Yes, ma’am,” Josh laughs. “So they tell me.”

“Has she found a place to stay yet?”

Josh nods. “Yeah. I helped her move in last weekend.”

“You checked the place out?”

“It’s not the fanciest place, but it’s safe. Her roommate seems nice. She’s a pediatric nurse at GW. She’s got two cats, though.”

Almost as if she knew she was being spoken about, Donna hesitantly walks toward Josh and Abbey. “Mrs. Bartlet,” Donna says. “You look gorgeous. I love that color on you.”

“Thank you, Donna,” Abbey says. “You look lovely, too. Josh was just telling me about your roommate’s cats.”

Donna shoots a pointed look at Josh, who simply shrugs. “He thinks they don’t like him. I tried to tell him that it was because he was dragging furniture down the hall and not because they could sense that he prefers dogs, but he wouldn't listen.”

“The girls had cats growing up,” Abbey says. “Jed wasn’t entirely fond of them, either.”

“There’s something about them,” Josh says. “I don’t know. They’re standoffish. Sort of like they’re judging me.”

Donna sighs. “You have to work to earn their affection, Josh. They don’t just fall in love with the first person who gives them attention.”

“See, dogs aren’t that complicated. If you’re nice to them, they like you.”

What was once a three-way conversation has turned into a two-way conversation, and Abbey knows better than to interfere. It’s an inconsequential discussion, all things considered, but Abbey can sense a certain fondness in their banter. Before Donna arrived on the campaign trail, Abbey found Josh to be arrogant and insufferable. Admittedly, she didn’t spend much time with him, but whenever she and Josh crossed paths, he was the person she tried to avoid. But Donna brought out a new side of him, and Abbey has actually grown to like Josh.

With as much time as he seemed to want to spend with her, Abbey wondered if Josh had feelings for Donna until Mandy re-entered the picture. With Mandy gone once again, and given Josh's reaction to Abbey pointing out how pretty Donna looked, it's possible there's something more there. Abbey thinks that she may have been on to something.

Abbey feels a pull at her arm again and lets out a disgruntled sigh. “Jed.”

“Their conversation with you ended minutes ago, my dear.”

Abbey lets Jed lead her toward a group of senators and their wives. The conversation is the least stimulating chat she’s had all evening. The women in this small group keep asking her how she plans to decorate the White House. Of course, Abbey has given it plenty of thought, but it seems like this should be the last thing on the list of conversations to have at an inaugural ball. They've been talking to this group for about twenty minutes, but it feels like hours. Abbey offers her occasional input, but her attention is elsewhere. She notices that Donna is now standing with Margaret by the bar. Margaret is talking to Donna, but Donna doesn’t seem to be paying any attention. She’s nodding and smiling, but the topic at hand isn’t holding Donna’s attention. 

Abbey looks across the room to see what Donna is distracted by, and sees Josh, Toby, and Sam just a few feet away. Toby and Sam are deep in conversation, but Josh looks about as enthused as Donna is in her conversation with Margaret. Abbey sees Josh’s glance float back to Donna every few minutes, then back again to interject something to ensure that he’s acknowledging what’s going on in front of him. 

Donna is a little less subtle. She has a dreamy look on her face that she occasionally masks for a moment, but can’t seem to keep fully under wraps. Her gaze rarely strays from Josh, following him with her eyes as he moves around the room from group to group.

Jed finally excuses them from their current chat and moves Abbey away from the crowd. “I think we’ve got just a few more minutes here before we move on to our next stop. Maybe the company will be a little more exciting there.”

Abbey sighs heavily, ignoring Jed’s statement. “I can’t take it anymore.” 

She hands Jed her drink and makes a beeline over toward Josh, grabbing him by the wrist. Sam and Toby manage to spit out surprised greetings and Abbey smiles. “Excuse me, gentlemen. Josh.”

“Mrs. Bartlet? What’s going on?” Josh manages to hand his drink to Toby before they move.

Abbey drags Josh over to where Donna is standing. She’s looking for something in her small clutch when Abbey and Josh approach. Abbey clears her throat and Donna snaps her head up.

“Josh? Mrs. Bartlet! I’m so sorry, I was just…”

“Donna, Josh would like to dance with you. Do you accept?” Abbey asks, cutting Donna off before she can even finish her sentence.

Donna’s cheeks flush as she looks at Josh, then at Abbey again. “Y-yes,” she stammers, clearly caught off guard. 

Abbey turns to Josh. “Josh, Donna would like to dance with you. Do you accept?”

“Yes.” He shifts his weight from one foot to the other and clears his throat.

Abbey takes Donna’s hand and leads Donna and Josh to the dance floor. Neither Josh nor Donna say a word as they travel with her. They arrive on the dance floor and Abbey stops abruptly. “There. Was that so hard?” Abbey asks, placing Josh’s hand in Donna’s. “My God, and people say we hire the best and brightest to work in the White House.” She turns on her heel and walks away, returning to her spot in the corner with Jed. 

“Feel better now?” Jed asks. 

“Much better,” Abbey says, accepting her drink back from her husband. “The longer I watched them undress each other with their eyes from across the room the less I understood whatever the hell it is that they’ve got going on. What  _ do _ they have going on, anyway?”

“Leo and I have been wondering the same thing for the better part of a year now,” Jed answers. 

“Really?”

“Oh, come on, Abbey, you’re an observant, educated woman, you mean to tell me you haven’t noticed a single wayward glance before tonight? Not a moment of bickering that reminded you of a couple who have been married for thirty years?”

“Of course I have. I just thought that if they were interested they’d have done something about it by now, but apparently, I thought wrong.”

“Well, maybe they need a little assistance,” Jed muses, a twinkle in his eye. 

“You didn’t come here to play Cupid, Jed, you came here to be President of the United States.”

Jed puts his hands in his pockets. “I could say the same for you, Abbey, considering you all but handcuffed them together just now. But you’re right, I didn’t come here to play Cupid. Playing Cupid is simply a bonus. Now, come on. You and I haven’t danced together at this ball yet.”

Abbey takes Jed’s hand as they move toward the dance floor. She watches as Josh leads Donna across the floor, both undeniably much more comfortable than they were when she left them a few minutes ago. They’re standing just a little closer and their movements are just a little more natural. Judging by the grins on their faces, maybe Jed wasn’t too far off base - maybe all they needed was a little help.


	6. Toby Ziegler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thanks for reading and for your feedback. I love being part of such a wonderful and supportive fandom! Toby was tough to write, so I hope I struck a balance for him. Feel free to hang out on Tumblr (same username as here!) - I would love to talk to all of you!

**Toby Ziegler | Washington D.C. | January 1999**   
  


Toby wasn’t one to sleep in his office if he could help it. 

Even when he was younger and less stringent with what little work-life balance came with this profession, he preferred not to be someone who worked himself to the point of falling asleep at his desk. He’d much rather bring his work home with him and spread out in the comfort of his own living room, in silence, working on whatever needed to be done. 

But now he works in the White House for the President of the United States. He suspects that his sleeping habits will change quickly.

On this particular day, he’d gone to sleep at 1:30 AM, only to wake up at 4 AM to be at work by 5 AM. It’s now 7:30, and he’s made… no progress since about 5:15 AM. And it’s Saturday. The first Saturday of the first 100 days of the presidency and the first draft of the State of the Union address still isn’t finished. 

He’s already had two cups of coffee, but they haven’t helped him feel more productive. He can feel his headache building in intensity behind his eyes. If he thinks back, he realizes that he’s had a constant headache that hasn’t really gone away since they won the nomination, but this one is surely amplified by the lack of sleep he’s been getting lately. 

Toby opens his desk drawer and opens a bottle of aspirin. He shakes the pills into his hand before popping them into his mouth and chasing them with what’s left of his third cup of coffee. Even on days like this, where he feels like he’s spinning his wheels in the mud, he does enjoy his job. More than enjoy — he loves his job. He’s even grown to enjoy the company of the people he works with. He’d never tell them that, of course, because that sort of familiarity is generally a little too close for Toby’s comfort. 

That said, a lot of things have pushed him beyond the boundaries of his comfort zone since he joined the Bartlet campaign. He’s not about to go skydiving or join an improv group or something, but he’s let people in a little.  _ Just a little _ . They’re often obtuse, or headstrong, or even smug, but their intentions are good, and they’re all working to accomplish the same goals. He can learn to live with the rest.

“DONNA!” 

Toby looks up from the paper toward the hallway in front of him. Josh has just arrived, or at the very least, he’s made his presence known. Josh walks in the doorway of Toby’s office, leaning his shoulder on the doorframe and crossing his arms. “Hey, you haven’t seen that folder I had yesterday with that stuff from the OEOB, have you?”

“What would possess you to think that I paid even the smallest iota of attention to what you had in your hand at any point yesterday?”

Josh nods. “Yeah. Fair enough.”

Donna appears in the doorway. “Good morning, Toby,” she says sweetly. “You were here late last night. Did you get any sleep?”

“A little,” Toby says, careful to keep his tone neutral with her rather than flying off the handle. Donna has always been kind to him; while he had earned himself the reputation of being surly at times, he didn’t want to be overly gruff with someone who showed him this sort of warmth. 

Donna turns her attention to Josh. “Good morning, Josh,” she says.

“Have you seen that folder with the stuff from the OEOB? The one from yesterday?”

“It’s on your desk. Is that a new sweater?”

Josh stands a little taller. “How did you know?”

“You still have the tag on it,” Donna answers, a grin spreading across her face.

Josh raises his eyebrows, reaching behind his back toward his neck as though he has an itch he can’t scratch. “Oh, yeah, I do have a tag in there, still.” He grabs the tag in his fist and starts to pull.

“Don’t pull it, you might tear your sweater,” Donna says. “Toby, do you have scissors?”

Toby looks up at her, blinking. “Why would I need…”

Donna sighs and disappears down the hallway without a word. 

Josh stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Have you seen CJ yet this morning?”

“Not yet, but I’d imagine she’ll be here soon. What’s going on?”

Donna returns with scissors before Josh can answer the question. Toby watches as she turns Josh around, snips the tag, then removes the tag and the plastic fastener. She pats Josh gently on the back and adjusts the collar of his sweater. “How you managed to put that on without noticing the tag is beyond me.”

“Donna, I’m a busy man,” Josh protests in a half-whine. 

“You  _ are _ a busy man,” she agrees, clearly trying to stroke Josh’s fragile ego. 

“Sometimes, we just have to do the best we can with the time we have. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, you know?” Josh sighs dramatically. 

“You almost slept through your alarm again, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t. And even if I did, why would I tell you and open myself up to ridicule and mockery?”

“You already open yourself up to ridicule and mockery by just your being you,” Donna says. 

Josh crosses his arms. “Did… you just insult me with a line from  _ Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood _ ? That’s not very neighborly, Donnatella.”

“I did. See, Josh, the thing about Mister Rogers is that he manages to get dressed properly, on national television, day after day, in front of millions of children. Including you, apparently.”

“When I was a kid, not now!” Josh laughs.

She ignores his protest. “Mister Rogers also sang while he did it. Look, you even left a sticker. See?” Donna reaches out and puts one hand on Josh’s chest and uses the nails on her other hand to peel the sticker off of his sweater. She leaves her palm on Josh’s chest for just a beat, a length of time almost imperceptible to anyone but the two of them... and Toby. 

Toby watches as Josh glances down at Donna’s hand, then looks back at her with a dimpled smile. She removes her hand and they continue their back and forth, their eyes locked, showing no signs of movement down the hallway. 

He returns his gaze to his work, but his mind replays the moment he just saw unfold. 

Donna, removing the tags off of Josh’s shirt. Donna, placing her hand over Josh’s heart. Josh, visibly reacting to Donna’s touch. 

He pinches the bridge of his nose as an unshakeable feeling of dread washes over him. This feels oddly familiar to Toby, this… flirtatious repartee. He never cared for it much, even in the happiest, most joyful moments of a burgeoning relationship. It didn’t feel natural to him. It felt like a waste of time. Just telling someone how you feel is much easier, much more direct. There are no questions, no room for misinterpretation. He learned to play the game, so to speak, but it wasn’t his preferred method of romantic communication. 

But these two… there’s  _ something _ there. The pieces of the puzzle fall into place as Toby thinks back over the last year or so. Quiet moments tucked in the corner of a campaign bus, late nights in Josh’s office at campaign headquarters sharing each other’s food, looks of longing shared from across a banquet hall. This has been building for as long as he’s known them. The touches have become more frequent, more intimate. Toby’s never touched an assistant like that. His assistants have never touched him like that. 

This was different. Josh and Donna were different.

He can’t help but imagine all of the ways this could come crumbling down around them, and around him, and the President by extension. Toby isn’t bothered as an adult who makes a point not to involve himself in the lives of other adults. But he is bothered as someone who can see the writing on the wall and can predict about thirteen different ways that something like this could come back to bite them all in the ass by lunchtime on any given day.

“I’ve done your laundry, Josh,” Donna says. “I know for a fact that’s not true.”

Toby tears at the top piece of paper on the legal pad, tossing it in the direction of the trash can as he shifts his attention back to the conversation in progress in his doorway. 

“When did you do my laundry?” Josh asks. 

“Remember when we were in California and you only had that one pair of jeans?” Donna says. “I found a laundromat and did your laundry because you got stuck in that meeting with Congressman Prince. The hotel didn’t have laundry service.”

“Ah, I remember that,” Josh says. “My clothes smelled weird when I got them back.”

“You mean, they smelled clean,” Donna insists. 

“Would you two get a room, please?” Toby finally interrupts.

Toby watches as they stop and look at each other. Donna turns a deep shade of red and clears her throat. “Leo wants to see you in five minutes.” She walks down the hallway without another word. 

Josh raises his eyebrows. “What was that all about?”

“What was what all about?”

“The ‘get a room’ stuff,” Josh says. 

Toby tosses his pen onto the legal pad. “You have absolutely no idea what that was about?”

“Do you think I’d be wasting my time asking if I knew?”

“You’re wasting  _ my _ time, that’s for damn sure.”

Josh walks into Toby’s office and takes a seat on his couch. “Seriously, Toby.”

Toby sighs. He feels the urge to shove Josh out of his office with a surprising amount of force, but he refrains. “We know how you feel about Donna. Just… you gotta cool it. You can’t let this jeopardize things.”

“How I _ feel _ about her?” Josh’s voice gets higher. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The only thing missing from that little display was you walking into the bullpen and shouting ‘honey, I’m home!’”

“Toby, you have nothing to worry about.” Josh leans forward on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees.

“What I just witnessed could prove otherwise.”

“She’s my assistant!”

“Look, I have been exceptionally patient with you this morning, despite the fact that we’re supposed to have the first draft of the State of the Union address by noon tomorrow and I haven’t written a damn thing. But you’re making it difficult to continue,” Toby says, raising his voice as he continues to speak. “Figure it out. Whatever it is, figure it out. Because so help me, if this affects any of us…”

“It won’t,” Josh interrupts. “It’s not an issue.”

Toby studies Josh for a moment. He doesn’t need to discern whether or not Josh is being honest, as Toby knows two things to be true. First, he has discovered that Josh absolutely and unequivocally has feelings for Donna. (And if his suspicions are correct, Donna has similar feelings for Josh.) But he also knows Josh would never intentionally do anything to compromise what they’ve all worked so hard to earn. He doesn’t know Donna well, but she’s always been professional. He has no reason to distrust either of them.

Even in the midst of his exasperation, he finds himself feeling a twinge of sympathy for Josh (and Donna, since it’s apparent that she feels the same way). The two truths Toby just identified seem to be at odds with one another, and that can’t be easy. Toby knows all too well what it’s like to want someone he can’t have. 

“Leo wanted to see you,” Toby reminds Josh, motioning toward the door.

Josh stands up. “Right. Toby…”

“Josh,” Toby interrupts, grabbing the pen he abandoned earlier. 

“I just wanted you to know that…”

Toby nods. “I know,” he says softly. The two share a look of understanding before Toby turns his attention back to the speech.

Josh disappears down the hallway without another word as Toby attempts to write.


	7. Margaret Hooper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Thanks so much to all of you for being super nice and supportive - this fandom is the best. This is a Margaret chapter... I live a Margaret appreciation existence, so I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Margaret Hooper | Washington, D.C. | April 1999**

Everyone said that the first hundred days in the White House would be the most hectic. Margaret can say with certainty that it’s been true. It’s been late nights that turn into early mornings, to the point where she has to really think about what day it is at any given moment before she opens Leo’s schedule.

It’s day seventy-four (or is it seventy-five?) of their first hundred days. It’s a Sunday, and the West Wing is predictably busy. Leo’s been pulled in three or four different directions from the start, but things settle down just a little by the time lunch rolls around.

“Margaret,” Leo calls, “I’m going to see the Vice President. I’ll be back in an hour.”

Margaret sees him off, and suddenly she’s not sure what to do with herself. This is one of the first times she’s been in the office alone, for all intents and purposes, and with it being a Sunday, she’s not quite sure what’s in store. She calls some of the other assistants to see if they’re free for lunch and makes her way down to the Mess at about noon, lost in thought when she feels a hand on her shoulder.

“Come sit with us,” Carol says. “Ginger’s telling us a story about one of the assistants over on the Hill.”

Margaret gets her lunch and joins Bonnie, Donna, Ginger, and Carol at the table. 

“So Linda told me that Natalie was planning to ask to move her desk,” Ginger explains. “I would, too, if I were her. I can’t deal with that sort of childish behavior. But she’s afraid if she asks then it looks like she’s feeding into it.”

“Well, if Rhonda is giving her a hard time and making it a hostile work environment, then it’s not childish to speak up about it,” Bonnie says.

“No, it’s not, but you know some people around her _think_ it’s childish,” Donna chimes in. “It’s hard to find the right balance between standing up for yourself by involving someone else who can fix the problem, and sounding like you’re going to someone else to stir the pot or tattle. Especially if your boss is a man. It’s easier for men to write you off.”

“Is this about Rhonda thinking Natalie was checking her husband out?” Margaret asks, taking the toothpick out of her sandwich.

“You know everything,” Bonnie says. “How are you so good at this? Seriously, nothing gets by you.”

Margaret shrugs before taking a sip of her iced tea. “I have my ways.”

The women of the West Wing seem to be fascinated by Margaret and her ability to know what's going on with people all the time. The thing is, they’re just going about it all wrong. They’re not reading the room. They don’t look at what’s right in front of them, consider the facts, and draw conclusions. They hear things and then try to search for evidence to shoehorn into a half-baked, pre-existing theory. Margaret has learned that this sort of discovery isn’t something you go into with any sort of agenda. You can’t force the puzzle pieces together if they’re not going to fit.

Carol laughs. “Well, I guess we should be asking you, then. What else is going on around here?”

“What do you want to know?” Margaret takes a bite of her sandwich.

“Well, I heard that two interns hooked up in the bathroom the other day,” Ginger starts, “but I don’t know if there’s much truth to that one.”

“As far as I know, that one’s just a rumor,” Margaret says. “Though I can’t say I haven’t thought about where the good hookup spots are.”

“I’d imagine if you had your own office it would make things a lot easier,” Carol says. “It’s kind of risky to pull a move like that anywhere else.”

“That’s half the fun,” Margaret answers.

“I’m not even going to ask about that one. Though it does make me wonder how many people have hooked up since all of us started,” Carol laughs.

“Who’s even had time for that?” Donna asks. “Seriously, I’m the most tired I’ve ever been. I don’t think I’d have time to keep something like that going, let alone keep it quiet.”

“That’s why I’d assume they’re hooking up with other staffers,” Bonnie says. “Easy access. You already know each other from work.”

Margaret could read at a fifth grade level in kindergarten. It didn’t matter in the long run, because it’s not like she skipped a grade, or took advanced courses, or even remembered her SAT score to brag about at work. She knows she’s pretty smart. But she’s a different kind of smart than the kind of smart she’s surrounded by in the West Wing.

The thing about working at the White House is, you can be the smartest person in the room, but you’ll always have a leg up if you can _read_ the room. It’s as simple as having the right candy in the candy jar on your desk to disarm a grouchy senator, or knowing what small talk to initiate with someone’s assistant to get on their schedule. It’s sort of like investigating a mystery -- you have to put the pieces together to solve the puzzle.

Margaret takes another sip of her iced tea as she listens to more speculation about staff she’s never met, and probably never will. _Amateurs._ Intern hookups? That’s bush league. She’d never tell the others that, of course, but she sets her standards a little higher. She’s looking for the good stuff. The stuff you can’t just… _overhear_ by picking your feet up in the bathroom stall and trying not to breathe too loudly. She wants to work for it. She has bigger fish to fry.

So when Leo calls it a night around 7:00, she decides to seize her opportunity.

She decides to leave her coat and her bag at her desk before making her way quietly down the hallway. She doesn’t know what she’s looking for, really, but she decides to leave it to fate. Of course, she’s heard plenty of rumors from all ends of the White House and the Hill - brewing feuds, staffers already on the verge of quitting, interns who didn’t vote for President Bartlet and are being awfully brazen about it. She’s not quite sure what she expects to find, nor is she looking for anything in particular, but she’ll know it when she sees it. She’s entirely certain, though, that she’s looking for top-tier stuff. Expert-level stuff.

She wanders down the hallway and stops when she sees a desk with a flower arrangement on it. Margaret doesn’t find herself on this end of the office a lot, so she can’t quite remember whose desk it is. There’s a black sweater on the back of the chair, so she assumes the desk’s occupant is still here. That narrows it down some -- there’s only a handful of senior staff who are still in the building, and that makes this desk most likely Ginger’s, Donna’s, or Bonnie’s.

Margaret takes a look around to ensure that no one can see her before she inspects the flowers for a card. She can’t seem to find one, so she has to get creative. Margaret moves the mouse on the computer on the desk and the login screen confirms that this is Donna’s desk. Donna isn’t dating anyone, at least not that she’s shared, so this is absolutely a mystery to be solved.

It’s not quite what she was looking for, but it’ll do for now.

She hears a door open followed by two sets of footsteps coming down the hallway. Margaret quickly hides underneath Donna’s desk, squeezing herself into the smallest ball she possibly can and closing her eyes.

“Josh,” Donna says. “I think you’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m not being ridiculous. If they think that they’re going to play these games with us, then they’re going to do it for the next four years. We’re going to have to set that boundary and set it early.”

“I just think you need to pick your battles,” Donna says. “Is this really worth it?”

“Yes, it is. It is worth it. Because that’s what we came here to do, Donna.”

The voices grow more difficult to hear, so Margaret slowly stands up from underneath Donna’s desk, smoothing out her skirt and fixing her hair. She pushes in Donna’s chair and slowly walks closer to the door of Josh’s office, trying to stay as far away as possible to ensure that she can still hear and not be seen.

“I don’t have the energy for this today,” Donna says. “Don’t be surprised when I say ‘I told you so’ a few months down the line on this one.”

“You always find the energy to poke holes in my master plan,” Josh points out.

“Forgive me if I’m lacking the energy after the flowers…”

“Donnatella, it’s our anniversary, we’ve been over this. I don’t understand why you’re so against me sending you a token of appreciation like this.”

Margaret raises her eyebrows, tucking herself in a corner. Their _anniversary?_ Her whole body is practically vibrating with excitement. Were Josh and Donna together? Josh is senior staff. Senior staff is Big. Fish.

“It is not our _anniversary_ ,” Donna whisper-shouts.

“You started working for me a year ago today,” Josh says. “Is that not the meaning of the word anniversary?”

“I started working for you in February,” Donna corrects him.

“You did, and then you left to go back to your old boyfriend. But you came back to me one year ago today, and that’s what matters.”

Margaret stifles a laugh. _Men._ She didn’t have to see Josh’s face to picture the smirk. He’s probably so proud of himself, his chest puffed out with his stupid dimpled grin. Margaret couldn’t even pretend that this was a good cover. This is Flirting 101. Not a thing about this is subtle.

“That’s awfully pedantic,” Donna says. “I was only gone a couple of weeks.”

“Donna, I don’t hold grudges,” Josh says. “It’s water under the bridge. I’m just glad you’re here now. Do you like the flowers?”

“You absolutely hold grudges, and you’re exhausting,” Donna says.

“And yet you couldn’t stay away if you tried,” Josh retorts. “And you did indeed try.”

Margaret can’t help but wonder if this is what they were like on the campaign trail. Donna was one of the only assistants trusted to be on the road with the rest of the senior staff… well, some combination of that and the fact that Josh was going to blow a gasket if he didn’t have her around, was the likely explanation. Margaret was never offended that she wasn’t asked to go with them; she really enjoyed being trusted to hold down the fort and keep things running at HQ while everyone was out on the road. But that also meant she missed all the good stories. Forget about intern hookups, campaign trail shenanigans were so much more interesting.

Donna sighs. “Is this going to be a thing?”

“What, showing you how much I appreciate the work you do? Of course it’s going to be a thing.”

“I meant sending me flowers in April rather than February.”

There’s a beat of silence. “I guess we’ll see next year, huh?”

Donna groans and exits the office. Margaret quietly stands, ensuring that she can’t be seen behind the wall, and slowly peeks out and watches as Donna sits down at her desk. Donna leans forward and smells the flowers, smiling and shaking her head. Margaret notices Donna pull open the desk drawer to find the card from the flowers, dropping it in her purse.

Margaret darts her eyes around, looking for an escape. She has to be stealthy, or she’s going to be caught. She has no excuse to be in this area of the office, especially after Leo sent her home over thirty minutes ago. But she has to know what’s on the card.

Josh blows out the door and grabs Donna from the bullpen, heading toward the doors they entered through a few moments earlier. Margaret knows that this is her chance. She quickly makes her way back to Donna’s desk, carefully and swiftly retrieving the envelope from her purse. She pulls the card out to read it.

_Donnatella,_

_365 days ago, you returned to New Hampshire and decided to stay for good. You have made this job better on each and every one of those days because you’re here._

_Happy Anniversary. Here’s to many more._

_-Josh_

Margaret returns the card to Donna’s purse and quickly makes her way back to her desk before Josh and Donna return. She slips into her coat before checking Leo’s schedule for the next morning to see what time she would need to arrive. After shutting down her computer, she turns off the lights in the office and makes her way toward the exit, satisfied with the result of her investigation.

The card confirmed it for Margaret - there’s a spark there. If she asked the right questions, she could probably get a ton of supporting evidence for the ‘Josh and Donna’... thing. In fact, if she paid attention, she’d likely bear witness to a lot of things herself.

She runs through a list of all her personal belongings to ensure she grabbed everything on her way out. _Keys, wallet, ID badge… wait._ Margaret realizes that her keys are still sitting on her desk. She turns on her heel to head back to retrieve them and nearly runs into Donna, who’s walking out of the building carrying the flowers.

“Oh, Margaret, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

Margaret nods, slightly startled. “I’m fine. I forgot my keys. Wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. Those are nice flowers.”

“Thank you,” Donna says, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.

“Who are they from?” Margaret asks, raising an eyebrow.

Donna’s flushed pink cheeks are now turning a deep red. “Oh, they’re from Josh. I started working for him in February, and…” She pauses, giggling and waving her free hand. “He’s doing it to irritate me.”

“Well, it looks like he’s doing a pretty bad job of it,” Margaret points out.

Donna’s expression changes just slightly when Margaret says that. There’s a hint of confusion on her face, but it only takes a split second for the subtext of Margaret’s statement to settle. Donna clears her throat, shifts her eyes to the ground, then looks back at Margaret with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says as walks quickly past Margaret toward the exit.

Margaret smiles. _The others really are amateurs._


End file.
